Sarasota Yacht Club

By staff | March 17, 2014

This new building replaces buildings that existed in this location since 1910 as a landmark gathering spot for thousands of Sarasotans on the waterfront.

The project’s program consists of a building that hosts people for dinner, drinks, dancing, banquets, and other activities in a marine environment. The building includes a first floor, which is parking and storage built below base flood elevation. The second floor of the building includes dining, offices, a kitchen, bars, child care, ship store, restrooms, grand entry hall, honors gallery and meeting rooms. The mid-level includes outdoor dining, a fitness center, pool restrooms and a pool with deck.

A key to the design is the orientation of the site and building to the surrounding area: water and marina to the east and south, street to the north and existing buildings to the west. The building is aligned so that as pedestrians arrive at the entry porte -ochere and enter the lobby--both of which are sheltered by a translucent roof--they can see straight through to the main marina dock and water, bringing the water's edge into the building. It is elevated to conform to governmental codes that require structures built in flood-prone areas.

The structure has a standing seam aluminum roof on the main portion of the building, with large covered outdoor dining areas that stretch around the building to provide shade to both the diners and the building's glass facade. Outdoor dining along the waterfront allows unobstructed views and breezes. The style is key-phrased “coastal contemporary” to match the marine environment it reflects. The building conforms to 130-mile-per-hour hurricane building codes and is mainly constructed of concrete and steel. It is visible from a bridge approach from afar, and it blends into its environment with the use of sail shades that look like an extension of the sailboats and motorboats in the marina it harbors.

Warm teak woods, similar to the wood on a antique boat, accent the architecture to create a warm, visitor-friendly environment. The building continues to be a prominent landmark on the Sarasota waterfront.